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Section 1
### Chapter 1: Chapter 1
WREN They tore me out of my shitty, half-built life, dragged me into a nightmare of masks, guns, and blood. I was nothing but leverage for the man who betrayed me. And him — Ace — he was supposed to be my jailer, a monster with no heart behind that mask. But every time he touches me, I fall apart. Every time he looks at me, I want to believe there’s something human left in him. I should hate him. I should fight. But somehow, the only thing that feels safe in this godforsaken place is his hands on my skin. ACE She wasn’t meant to matter. Just a bargaining chip. Collateral. Another name in the ledger. But the second I saw her, something in me broke — or maybe woke up. She’s mouthy, reckless, beautiful in a way that splits me open. I’m meant to guard her, break her if I have to, keep her in line. But the thought of anyone else touching what’s mine makes me want to burn the world to the ground. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’ll never let her go. Even if I have to destroy her to keep her.
Complete Chapters 39 Rating 4.9 ( 52 reviews ) Age Rating mature {"language":"en","storyId":1505411,"genres":[{"name":"Romance","path":"/genres/romance"},{"name":"romance","path":"/genres/romance"}],"authorName":"Nina Ramseyer","authorPath":"/NinaRamseyer","status":"complete","lastUpdatedAt":1752046747,"chaptersCount":39,"rating":4.923076923076923,"reviewsCount":52,"ageRating":"mature"} Chapter One WREN
“Are you sure there’s booze in this? D-doesn’t taste like it.”
The visibly intoxicated woman frowns at her mixed drink in hand, her eyes glazed over. Her words come out slurred as she leans her weight against the bar top and fights to focus on me.
My irritation piques, but I fight back a snarky remark and settle with something that edges on humor rather than being a pure bitch.
“Did you ever think that makes me a good bartender?” I’m surprised I held the venom from my voice, considering I’ve been at my boiling point for the greater half of my shift.
I grab my silver drink shaker, slap the top down with pent-up aggression, and begin rocking it back and forth, putting all my frustration into the poor drink mixer rather than my patrons.
I have had it with everyone tonight.
The ice nearly takes up half my glass. I want more booze!
Six dollars for a beer? That’s highway robbery.
My face remains stoic while crafting the margarita I’ve been working on.
She’s lucky I even served her another drink after she knocked over her friend’s glass earlier—she is obviously intoxicated.
“I just want you to remake it,” the lady whines, giving me a sympathetic look. I give her a strained smile and nod because I totally have time to remake a drink the same fucking way, with my line nearly going out the front door. I shouldn't have told Eric that I could handle this high school reunion alone, but I’m desperate for extra cash.
Lord knows I need the money, especially after my little Honda-that-could started making a frightening noise.
But my pride seems to always step in the way, and I like to bite off more than I can chew, only to realize my mistake when it’s too late and I’m choking.
I frown at the eager patrons, all watching me tackle the crowd on my own with their increasingly irritable groans as the lady in front stamps her foot like a child.
“Okay,” I finally give in, knowing she won’t leave me alone unless I do.
I grab her drink and set it behind the bar while shaking the drink mixer with my other arm. I pour the margarita from the shaker into the prepared glass lined with salt, wedge a lime on the rim, and place a straw before handing it to the handsome man patiently waiting.
“Here you go, sir ,” I joke with a smirk. My fiancé, Derrick, smiles and takes a lengthy sip, his blond hair falling into his blue eyes.
“Thanks for the drink, darling.”
“Of course, babe.” I cast a side glance at the woman standing at the front of my bar, drumming her fingers impatiently and sighing. “Now I have to deal with her,” I say, only for Derrick’s ears. She grumbles drunken nonsense as she pulls her phone out and begins typing, her nails clacking against the screen annoyingly.
She’s probably leaving a bad Yelp review as we speak.
She snaps her gum, completely oblivious to the world around her, as her eyes strain to focus on the screen and her body sways on her feet.
“Good luck, baby. You know it’s not too late to call Eric—”
“I got it,” I snap at my fiancé, a little too harsh for my liking. Derrick doesn’t respond, just mouths, “Okay,” with wide eyes and a hand held up in surrender. He walks away from the bar to his friends playing their second round of pool, laughing at their drunken banter and yelling as they fight over whether or not someone is cheating.
Derrick smacks his friend on the shoulder and laughs after Alan shoots the cue ball straight into the pocket, bypassing his striped ball completely. My eyes lift, and my smile falters as I catch Derrick’s friend, Jason, who waves at me from the other side of the pool table. I return the wave with a fake smile, feeling the hatred in my chest blooming for the man who seems to be pulling my fiancé down with him.
Derrick’s weeknights have been slowly mirroring his weekends, spending nearly every night out, drinking, and partying, while I stay home and recover from my long, grueling shifts at the bar. I know it’s because of Jason. He has a reputation for drugs and ragers—which often include strippers—and has been in and out of jail for the better part of his life. Derrick claims he’s a good guy with a bad rap, so I bite my tongue.
Nothing good comes when I question Derrick’s life decisions, so I’ve learned to shut my mouth over the last few years.
Finally, I turn my attention from Jason to my fiancé as he grabs a pool stick from his buddy, and I watch him line up a shot and sink it with no effort.
I smile before I turn, pour the drunken woman’s drink into the shaker, and remix it. I pour it back into her glass, topping off her straw with a splash of vodka, only for the taste, and I hand it to her. Being none the wiser, she takes a sip and smiles, nodding.
“That’s perfect, thank you,” she says in a slur as she turns, her heels nearly buckling from beneath her precarious footing. I scoff in her direction as I watch her join her friends who laugh like hyenas in the corner, their phones out and taking videos as another woman shakes her ass to the bumping music.
I have worked hard to keep my bar from turning into one of those bars, but this tends to happen when you get a bunch of high-strung women out for their high school reunion, who have to show off that their life isn’t as miserable as it truly is.
I ignore them, knowing they’re putting money in my pockets and this night will eventually end.
The rest of my shift breezes by quickly with the help of the overwhelming number of patrons that force me to frantically mix and pour drinks, run cards, and deal with drunken pick-up lines from men who think they have a chance with me, even with the giant rock sitting on my finger.
After the night dies down substantially and closing time grows near, I kiss my fiancé goodbye before he leaves, tell him I love him and I’ll see him when I get home. The promise of a long, hot bath with soaks, cuddling up in my bed with my Kindle and cat named Bug, and finally finishing the book I’ve been devouring these last few days has kept me going, even when my poor feet scream at me for relief.
“Last call!” I yell over the commotion, the words coming out with more enthusiasm than I’ve felt all night. The last few customers take the hint and pay for their drinks, leaving generous tips as their judgment, thanks to the alcohol, has skewed. The last of my customers stumbles out the door, and I turn off the OPEN sign that hangs like a neon beacon in the night and take a deep breath, running my fingers through my dark hair.
I plop on a barstool and cringe at the dull ache in my feet, twisting my ankles to fight for relief and wincing when I find none.
Oh yeah, a nice soak is definitely in my future.
I cherish the small moment I have in silence, but begrudgingly stand to my screaming feet to get started on closing duties, knowing the faster they get done, the quicker a glass of wine will be in my possession.
I grab a rag and begin wiping down the bar top and the stools, cleaning them of the spilled liquor and sweat and hopefully not vomit. I round up empty glasses, discarded plates, and napkins, wash the dishes, and load them in the dishwasher.
Usually, my cook does the cleanup while I settle the till and mop, but I sent the cook home early for his wife’s birthday when food orders began to dwindle—I could handle the fried food on my own, or so I thought.
This is another instance of me being too nice and paying the price.
Closing the washer with my hip, I head to the register and settle the tills, counting out my tips with a genuine smile growing for the first time tonight.
I knew wearing my low-cut crop top was a good idea; my boobs always pay off.
Suddenly, I hear the door chime behind me. I whip on my heels, ready to tell the customer I’m closing up and they’ll need to leave.
I stop in my tracks, my breath hitching in my throat when I see two questionable-looking men standing shoulder to shoulder, watching me. They hide their faces behind masks, one a ski mask, only showcasing his eyes, and the other a dark skull with jutted cheekbones and narrowed eyes. I take in their massive bodies that nearly swallow the entrance, ridding the dim bar of any light from the street lamps along the sidewalks.
They must be at least 6'5" and weigh 250 pounds of solid muscle.
And here I stand, 5′3 , with nothing but a broom that rests behind me as my defense.
“What the fuck do you guys think you’re doing?” I finally ask with a thick voice. Fear licks my insides like flames, and a giant rock settles in the pit of my stomach.
Reaching behind me, I grope for my phone on the counter and find purchase. I clutch it against my chest like a weapon.
Nothing good comes from two masked men in my bar after closing time.
I knew we shouldn’t have skimped on our security because currently, there’s not a single camera about to witness my sure death that’s in my future.
“Door’s unlocked. Thought that meant you were still open,” the man adorned in the skull mask drawls, and I watch as his silver eyes from under his mask rake down my body, sizing me up. A shiver cascades down my spine under his gaze, but I swallow down the lump in my throat as I grab the fistful of my tips and throw them across the bar.
“Here,” I say, stepping back a few paces to distance us. “Take my money; even the till. Take anything you want. Just leave. P-please .”
The beast of a man stares down at the cash that litters the bar top and chuckles. I cautiously watch as he steps forward, his boots echoing in the silence. I step back again, my ass knocking into the cooler, making me wince with my heart hammering inside my chest.
The only thing standing between us is my bartop, but with their stature, it won’t be much of an obstacle.
“We don’t want your money,” he murmurs, his chin dipping as he looks down at me. The man standing next to him reaches forward, almost comically, as he grabs the money and fists it into his pocket. The man with the skull mask who stands before me looks over his shoulder and scoffs, but doesn’t utter a word.
“We’ll leave,” the skull-masked man says, his voice deep and gravelly. “But you’re coming with us.”
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### Chapter 2: Chapter 2
I turn on my heels, looking down briefly to dial 911, and dart, my legs carrying me as fast as they can to the back of the bar. I clumsily hop over the bar top and send a tower of cups stacked by the dishwasher shattering across the floor. My boots crunch across the glass as I beeline for the exit.
Unfortunately, my short legs are no match for theirs because the man in the skull mask grabs me by my long hair and yanks me backward just as my hand reaches the door.
“Nice try,” he grumbles in my ear, holding me tightly against his chest. My bones rattle with fear, and my heart hammers so hard inside my chest that it becomes painful. My eyes dart in every direction to find something to help aid in my defense. The only thing in arm’s reach is a potted plant placed on a shelf full of board games, so I reach and grip the edge of the terracotta, my arm straining and jaw clenching. I fight for purchase, but the other man steps forward and slams the butt of his gun against the bend of my elbow, causing me to cry out in pain and the plant to topple over and shatter at my feet.
“Blind and gag her,” my captor says, the vibration of his deep voice rumbling against my back. The other man obeys and shoves some fabric in my mouth, clamping my mouth shut with his other hand.
The sound of duct tape unraveling kicks my fear into overdrive and I buck and kick at my captor, but his arms are steel around me. I’m no match against him, but I can’t go down without a fight. My eyes widen to saucers when the duct tape fastens over my lips.
I let out a scream against the tape over my mouth, the sound never making it farther than my throat with veins in my neck bulging and eyes bulging from their sockets. I continue to kick and fight, but the brute just laughs, as if mocking my efforts.
The other man seizes my flailing arms with little effort and he fastens duct tape around my wrists, crushing my bones together and stretching my skin painfully.
They’re going to betrayal me, murder me, or sell me to some old creepy millionaire for a high dollar—or worse, all of the above.
I try again to scream against the gag, but it’s no use. My voice is muted and can barely carry far enough for someone to hear.
No cameras, no witnesses— nothing .
I’m going to disappear without a trace.
Eric is going to come in to open tomorrow to find this place trashed, and I’ll probably be cold and stiff in a ditch somewhere with no profile for my murderers.
One of the men places a burlap bag over my head, and now I’m shrouded in darkness. The fear I once felt before is now tenfold, and that makes me go feral. I whip my head back and connect with the man’s jaw, and he jerks back, his grip loosening on me for just a second, but I’m not quick enough. He grabs me, turns me quickly, and hoists me over his shoulder as if I weigh nothing.
“You can try to fight, dollface, but it will not get you far,” he teases. “Is the car ready?” He asks the other man, his powerful arms holding me in place. I can’t move or even try to fight my way out of this one. I’ve never felt so powerless in my life.
I pathetically bang my bound fists against the man’s back, screaming against my gag and kicking my legs wildly. He smacks a sharp slap against my ass, causing an electric shock to zip down my spine. The pain radiates down my thighs and freezes me in place.
“Stop it, or I’m going to drug you,” he snaps, his voice gruff.
I pathetically obey and feel him carry me away. I hear the familiar squeak of the back exit door and the humid summer air assaults my bare thighs.
There’s a sound of a van door swinging open, and the man hoists me inside, clumsily throwing me to my back on a hard, flat surface. The van dips as he steps in and slams the door shut behind him.
Silence surrounds me, my body trembling beyond my control as I push myself into a corner and press my knees against my chest like a beaten and battered animal. I can’t help the tears that streak down my cheeks, and the gag muffles the sob that escapes my throat.
I wince when the bag lifts from my head, and I’m face to face with the man who adorns the skull mask. My vision, which fills with tears, traces the mask, etching it into my memory.
The eyes are tilted holes, perpetually casting downward in a threatening expression and showcasing the cold and cruel silver irises of my kidnapper. The cheeks of the skull jut out violently, looking like carved cheekbones, angled almost geometrically. The mouth resembles skeletal teeth, and he has fabric that covers his neck, down to his black shirt and leather jacket. I spot his black latex gloves as they fist the burlap sack, gripping it between his large fingers that could, without a doubt, completely encircle my neck and break it with ease. I raise my eyes and note that his hair is long and dark, slicked back to the base of his neck with the sides shaved to a short length.
I meticulously note every identifiable characteristic and file it inside my brain, intending to provide this information to the police once I escape this nightmare.
His eyes study me just as considerably as mine do him, his gaze slowly falling from the top of my head to the point of my chin.
“Wren,” he says, almost in a whisper. “You’ve got yourself in a tough situation now, don’t you?”
If they didn’t gag me, I’d bark a laugh in his face. I did? How did I manage to get myself kidnapped from my bar?
But more importantly, how does he know my name?
He reaches forward with his gun pointed at my face, and I stare down the barrel with horror, my eyes widening and my heart hammering. My body begins convulsing beyond my control, sweat beading down my back, and breath coming out of my nostrils in short spurts. He calmly uses the tip to push back a strand of dark hair that fell into my eyes and observes the movement, as if calculating.
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. As long as you listen to me, we won’t have any issues. Got it?”
I jerk my head up and down in a pathetic attempt at a nod, wincing as the cool bite of the gun presses against my cheekbone.
“Don’t even think about trying something fucking stupid.” He stares at me for a moment longer before he sits back, pressing his back against the far side of the van.
The man lazily lifts his leg, and I take in his muscular thighs, which could easily overpower anyone, especially me. My eyes meet between the apex and land on his bulge, where he lays the gun haphazardly, and I gulp.
I look back up at him, my cheeks flaming after he catches me leering. I can’t help it—it’s almost comedic watching him hunching down in these tiny quarters, especially with his massive stature. His presence swallows up the entire expanse of the van and takes up every inch of space and ounce of oxygen in the process.
His eyes never leave me, and I match his stare, not wanting to show the fear that engulfs me.
The moment he looks away, I’m fighting for that gun. It may be stupid, but I’m not known to be rational.
Co-own a bar with a friend I only met a few months ago? Sure.
Move halfway across the country for a man who promises me the world once there’s a ring on my finger? No problem.
Wrestle a gun from a man who’s twice my size and packed with dense muscle? Cakewalk.
We’re the only two back here, and I took self-defense classes.
I have a few tricks up my sleeve.
We sit in silence for what feels like an hour.
I squirm occasionally, the nerves getting to me and making my bones feel unsettled inside my skin. Every move I make, he observes. I’m like a zebra in a lion’s den, and he’s watching me like a predator watches his prey; a meal for him to devour.
Will this man just fucking blink? He looks like a fucking statue.
A noise sounds from the other side of the sheet of metal separating us from the front of the van, where I’m sure there are just as terrifying men stationed, and his eyes finally leave me to look in their direction.
I don’t waste a second, fearing it’s my last chance at survival.
I kick outward, my boot driving with force between his parted knees. The man grunts, falling forward and grabbing himself as he keels in pain, muttering colorful insults under his strained breath.
Without another second to think, I spring forward and force my bound wrists downward and wack both fists against the back of his head, mustering up every ounce of adrenaline in my body to make the blow substantial.
He roars, and his head shoots up, fire blazing in his eyes at me. Before I let the fear get to me, I swing my arms to the side and connect my elbow against his temple, sending him flying backward. The brute lets out a satisfying grunt as he lands on his back, and the gun falls from his hand.
I don’t have time to pat myself on the back, so I grab his gun quickly, scooting to the rear of the van where the doors are. I seize the handle and jerk on it, but it doesn’t budge.
No, no, no, please. I whimper softly behind my gag, trying to blink the tears from my eyes as I lean back and kick the door a few times, grunting with frustration, but it’s no use. I shoot a look behind me to see the man on his knees, his hair disheveled and hands braced on his muscular thighs.
His eyes are fixed on me, and they only read one thing: murder.
“No one told me you were a fighter,” he says in a deep and gravelly voice. I scramble to my knees, praying the next time I pull the backdoor handle it’ll magically open, but who am I kidding? Luck is never in the cards for me.
I’m, of course, met with resistance, and the man just reaches forward and wraps his massive arm around my throat, pulling me against him with little prudence. My back is now completely flush with his chest, and I, for a moment, wonder what feels so hard against my ass, but fear completely swallows every thought inside my head as instincts take over.
I bang my head pathetically against his breastbone, but if anything, it hurts me more than it does him.
The man snatches the barrel of the gun I’m wildly swinging around in an attempt to break free with ease before I can jerk away, twisting it with force as he tries to pry it from my grip. I cry out as my fingers painfully bend, trying to keep a grip on the handle. Once the gun aims in his direction, I take my only chance to pull the trigger, but my finger meets resistance. He stops for a brief moment, laughing darkly.
“Safety’s on, doll,” he drawls against my ear, sending a chill down my spine.
I curse as he finally yanks the gun free and reaches forward, grabbing me by the back of my neck and using his knee to roll me over to my stomach, his body following close behind as he climbs on top of me. He straddles my waist with his weight on my ass, my breath becoming labored from his large mass that pins me in place.
There’s no way I can get out of this, not with his massive body pressing down on my frame.
My chest heaves with adrenaline, and I shake violently, wanting to cry out from the unnatural twisting of my arms that are pinned painfully underneath me.
The man cocks his gun and presses the tip into the hollow of my cheek, causing my teeth to cut into the flesh of my mouth as his fingers grip the back of my neck. The length of his fingers nearly circles it completely.
With one flick of his wrist, he could snap my neck with little effort.
I watch the man from the corner of my eye, my frantic breath coming from my nose violently as my adrenaline drains, leaving me with an incessant shiver. His head falls to the side, eyes studying me with his fingers still gripping the back of my throat roughly, cutting off all of my oxygen supply.
“Are you going to behave now?” He asks. I nod, finally deciding that staying alive is better than trying to escape. “Atta girl. Now sit next to me,” he says breathlessly as if I actually put up a fight against him.
I can’t ignore the tiny sliver of pride within as he sits back and rakes his fingers through his hair, sighing heavily from our little tussle. I painfully sit up and crawl to his side, leaving ample space between us and keeping him in the corner of my vision.
“It’s gonna be a long drive, so get comfortable.”
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